Polaris announces withdrawal from ATV market

Yet another leading all-terrain vehicle manufacturer has announced its intentions to exit the local market, following the implementation of the

Polaris stated it will withdraw all ATV (quad bike) models from sale in the Australian market prior to October 2020 when stage one of the new regulations takes effect.

According to the safety standard, all quad bikes are required to have a rollover-warning label fixed, as well as meet US and European standards in regards to performance of components such as brakes, throttle and clutch by October 2020.

By October 2021, all new ATVs sold in Australia must be fitted with an operator protection device (OPD) or roll bar.

Polaris' announcement follows similar threats made by other ATV manufacturers including Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki to exit the Australian ATV market due to the implementation of the new regulations.

All manufacturers unanimously opposed the fitment of OPDs on their products, refuting the safety claims of such devices.

Although Polaris said it is able to comply with the stage 1 regulations and can effectively remain in the market until October 2021 - when the fitment of OPDs become mandatory - the company chose to withdraw early as it believes the process of complying to remain in the market until then is "unviable".

This also comes as farmers have transitioned en masse from quad bikes to side-by-sides in recent years, leading to a contraction in the local ATV market, Polaris said.

"Considering the vast contraction of the quad bike market over the past five years as customers flock to side-by-side vehicles with properly engineered ROPS and factory integrated safety technologies, Polaris maintains its view that the market itself would end up signaling the end for quad bikes over coming years anyway through sheer lack of demand driven by the availability, benefits and range of side-by-side vehicles," said Polaris Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Alan Collins.

"Polaris has publicly stated numerous times that we believed within 24 months the quad bike market would be minimal at best, as the market shift away from ATVs (quad bikes) and towards side-by-side products was in full force long before any government mandates or safety standards were enacted – obviously this shift will now accelerate even further over the coming two years as the Consumer Goods (Quad Bikes) Safety Standard 2019 takes effect."

All of Polaris' ATV offerings, including its 50cc and 110cc Outlaw youth models will not be available for sale in Australia from October this year. However, Polaris will continue to offer its side-by-side range including the ACE 150, RZR 170 and Ranger 150.

Polaris and its Australian dealers are currently working on clearing the remaining stock of ATVs ahead of the October 2020 deadline.

The company added full product support for parts and warranty will continue in Australia for at least the next decade.